The Academy has recently changed the eligibility rules for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars, giving a direct role to six major festivals: Venice, Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto. The news was shared with Deadline by Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The new rules, introduced in May, provide that the films winning each festival’s top prize will gain automatic entry into the competition, no longer depending solely on individual countries’ national selections.
It is a very important step for international festivals, whose already prestigious awards will give a film added weight and visibility on the world stage.
In this way, the Academy aims to ensure broader representation for cinema from around the world and to open new paths for refugee filmmakers, whose works may be submitted by their host country. The decision is also tied to the makeup of its membership, a quarter of whom live outside the United States.
There is also news on the Oscars’ broadcast: starting in 2029, the ceremony will be streamed on YouTube in more than thirty languages, under a deal that will run through 2033.
Photo credit: Samuel Ramos via Unsplash
